macman

No drain for me

Rovobay I too enjoy a bourbon on occasion. You will hear differing comments about alcohol and weather you should or should not partake. It is a personal decision. I waited about 4 months to have a drink. I agree with the focus on weight loss and getting your head in a great place to do this, especially early in the process. But I happen to feel that an occasional drink ( one every couple weeks) is not going to mess me up. I can say that being at goal weight, 9 months post op.

HW 362 SW 320 CW 220 TPL 142 TGP 132 Stayed the same this week

I also had a six month program pre surgery which I felt helped me get my arms around this entire process. I lost 42 pounds during that time. That being said, I did have a food funeral. I have been smoking foods for a few years as a hobby and really enjoy BBQ. Because it is not the kind of vacation I would do now, My wife and I took a road. We flew to Kansas City and did a grand tour through KC, St Louis, Kentucky, Nashville and Memphis stopping at every BBQ joint along the way. It was great but it was truly was a funeral. I can still have BBQ, and still love to cook it, but not in the amounts I did previously

I am 6'3"" and started at 362 pounds. At 9 months post op I am 220 pounds

I order my protein and Bariatric vitamins directly from Unjury.com. I also do the same with Quest Protein bars, direct from their web site. I order calcium chews and other things like probiotics, b-12, iron supplements from Amazon. I order Chike Protein powder, Gold Standard Whey, and Torani sugar free syrups from Amazon as well

If you focus on eating dense protein at mealtime it should keep you full for 3-4 hours at a time. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks daily, even if I am not hungry

Congratulations Alex!

Key West, FL in May or June to fish for Tarpon. If you've never done it is quite a thrill!

Many people enjoy rice but I do not eat rice by choice. I did have a small amount at four months out. It felt like I had swallowed a football and sat like a rock in my stomach. I have since learned that rice expands after you eat it. It fills you quickly and does not have much in the way of nutritional value.

Fage Greek Yogurt, 0% fat in all flavors. It is slightly more expensive than others but in my opinion tastes better

There are lots of good thoughts here. My comments will not be a lot different. At 9 months post surgery I am eating 1200 calories a day and I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. I start most mornings with a protein shake. Lunch foods vary; low carb wraps with deli meat, or grilled chicken, small salads with chicken or tuna. Dinner is always a dense protein and some vegetables. Snacks are yogurt, jerky, peanut butter, almonds and many times a Quest Protein Bar. I think one of the things that has helped me is focusing on dense protein at meal time. It is really important to feel satisfied after meals, so you are not grazing or constantly looking for something to eat. I try to go 3-4 hours on a meal. The snacks help bridge the gap between meals or when I might need energy for exercise or activity. I have chosen not to eat pasta, rice, most all breads (except for the previously mentioned low carb wraps) and white potato.

HW 362 SW 320 CW 220 TPL 142 TGP 132 1 pound lost this week!

I count net carbs. For the first six months post surgery I kept carb levels at 50 or less. This was a great spot to be to maximize weight loss. As my activity and exercise increased I found that I needed to increase carb levels to get the energy I needed. I increased to 70-80 and found this to be a good level. Currently, at 9 months out, I try to maintain 70-80 net carbs a day. On occasion I do go slightly higher, but only if my exercise or activity level is significant.

i did not have any gas pain, but I did move around quite a bit and started short walks right away

Staring at a big glass of Water, knowing you should be drinking it, can be daunting! One of the suggestions made by my NUT for the liquid phase was as follows: Drink 4 ounces of Protein shake on the even hour of the day, Then 4 ounces of water or Fluid on the odd hours. By the end of the day you will have 32 ounces of each. It was the way I was able to meet fluid and protein requirements early on.

HW 362 SW 320 CW 221 TPL 141 TGP 132 1 pound lost this week!

I am dealing with this issue with my wife and family. I am 9+ months out from surgery, lost 140 pounds and I currently weigh 220 lbs. My initial weight target was 230lbs. The surgeon did not set a goal for me. My wife and family think I look "skinny". I think that is because I have been overweight for a decade and they are used to seeing me differently. I am wondering where my weight loss will settle. I have a BMI of 27 but have not really paid much attention to that. The weight loss has begun to slow down, but I feel like I have more weight to lose. I feel good, I am more active, exercise regularly and look good in my clothes. I will stick with the tracking and monitoring, and plan on intensifying my exercise through the winter to loose some excess fat and strengthen. I feel like I have accomplished a lot and if I loose another 10 pounds, great! But if I settle in here I will be ok with that as well.

Great Job! You look terrific!

Something that helped me early on was to break up the fluids and shakes into manageable amounts. My NUT suggested that I drink 4 ounces of water on the even hours of the day and 4 ounces of protein shakes on odd hours of the day. At day's end you have 32 ounces of protein shake and 32 ounces of fluids.

My starting weight was 362 pounds. Right now I am at 220, a loss of 140 pounds. My ideal weight was projected at 200 lbs, which means I have lost 86% of excess weight. At 9 months out, My weight loss has slowed but I am still losing about one pound a week. I agree with the above comments. There are a lot of variables including the weight that your body feels most comfortable. My best advice is to follow the program: Protein, then vegetables and fruit, limit carbs, drink fluids and increase activity or exercise on a daily basis

HW 362 SW 320 CW 222 TPL 140 TGP 132 1 pound lost this week!

I used Atkins and Premier during the liquid phase but do not use ready to drink at all any longer. My go to shake is Unjury Chocolate Splendor. it tastes good to me and it is medical grade protein that guarantees to be "china free", which can be important if you are concerned about quality of ingredients. I also like Unjury Strawberry Sorbet. I usually mix the Chocolate with Chike Iced Coffee protein for a great mocha shake or frozen bananas with Torani salted caramel syrup, or with PB2, peanut butter protein. I also like the Syntrax Nectors Fuzzy Navel and Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey in Rocky Road flavor

Rice is one of the foods I choose not to eat post surgery. It has a lot of empty calories that I can use other ways. I did try sushi rice once, at about 4 months. I had such severe cramps, and it felt like a knot in my stomach. Last time experimenting with that!

I am nine moths out from surgery and can eat anything I want. I choose however to maintain a lower carb lifestyle and usually avoid pastas, rice, breads and potatoes. I have never been a huge fan of sweets or junk foods . Like some of the other comments I do plan meals and think about what to eat but I find that food doesn't dominate my thinking like it used to.